Another visit to Xian

Seeing as I did not have to prepare for my exams, I had decided to reuse my preparation material; I had a weekend free and arranged to spend it in Xian with Debra. I made reservations, purchased train tickets and off I went.

Having gone to sleep, on the train, early I awoke at 05:00 ready for the day. My train arrived in Xian at 05:30 and, as has become my habit, the first thing I did was to purchase a return ticket. The Chinese tend to wait until they are ready to go before purchasing a ticket. I like to get one as soon as possible in order to reduce the amount of time I spend in the train station and to be sure I will get the ticket I want.

I got to the hostel and stowed my pack but Debra was still in bed so I went and played on my computer for a while. When she got up and we went walking through the Moslem quarter looking for breakfast. We actually found something that was a lot like a doughnut bar. We snacked a bit and went to a Mosque but it was not open that early so we continued on the Giant shop. I wanted to look at the model I had purchased and check the price. I had purchased mine in Xinyang for just under 2000RMB and in Xian I discovered that they were asking over 2600RMB, I had suspected that the Giant shop in Xian was over priced. Now I have verification.

We then returned to the Hostel and contacted one of my students, who was also in Xian but not staying with us, to go shopping with us, as we had previously arranged. There was some confusion as to where we would meet but we finally did meet up in front of the Xian China Post building.

We went to some shops that were nearby, including the large mall that is next to the Bell tower. There were three problems with those shops. First, they didn't have anything that Debra liked (she was looking for some skirts), second, they did not fit her and third, I consider those mall shops to be over priced. I finally convinced my student and her friend that we were not going to find what we were looking for at these shops and that we needed to try the Bazaars.

They finally understood and took us to the places that typical Chinese shop for clothing. Truth be told, there was a much greater selection than in the tourist area, but the prices were also a lot lower.

We finally got one skirt for her ant the first shopping building we went to. As you have seen in the past, these are large multi-story buildings (often seven to ten floors) filled with small ten by ten or twenty meter shops and all of the shops are independent of each other. One thing that never ceases to amaze us is that most of the shops close up for lunch and the staff stretch out on the floor for their siesta. We almost got a second skirt, at the second building, but the shop keeper saw westerners and raised the price beyond what we felt was reasonable. Then Debra was getting tired (I had not realized that we had been out on the shopping trip for over five hours until we returned to the hostel) so we started heading back.

(To get to these shopping centers one would go north [toward the train station] from the Bell Tower on "The North Street" until arriving at the last major intersection before passing under the wall, "Xi Wu Lu" on this street you will turn right, or east. You will know that you are on the right street as you pass under the circular pedestrian walkway as you cross the next major street heading to the train station in the north. Continue East on this same road. You will leave the walls and in about three kilometers you will reach the shopping buildings.)

Later, after naps, Debra and I had lunch, where we were pleasantly surprised that the Pizza at the Bell Tower was really pretty good, better than the only other Pizza place available to us, Pizza Hut, and also cost a lot less. We then went looking at iPods and pricing them and visited some other computer stores. This is the first time I have actually seen Red Flag Linux (the Chinese version of Linux) on a computer in China. There is a popular myth in the west that computers are cheap in China. We have not found this to be true. After currency conversion they seem to cost the same, and often more, for similar units. We checked the price online and determined that the iPods here cost slightly more than they do in the US and decided to think about it.

That evening we went out to watch the street carnival, which is common the Xian. However, the weather put them off and there was not as much happening. So, mostly we sat around.

Wandering at night in Xian

The next day Debra and I went and she did get her iPod. We checked several dealers and determined that the authorized Apple Dealer was the cheapest. It did sort of surprise them that she had a Chinese bank card; but the transaction went smoothly.

Debra getting a new toy

They included a number of extras but the one thing that they did not include, because they were out of them, was a screen protector. Debra does not want her iPod to end up looking like mine (in my defense, mine is about three years old and she has used it more than I have). We then went to another shop, which had the screen protectors, and tried to purchase one. For whatever reason, this caused them an incredible amount of consternation. We just wanted the screen protector, nothing else. It was in the locked case so I was not able to pick it up and wave it in their faces; instead I was reduced to pointing and saying "that" in Chinese. I finally gave up and phoned another Student, Gao Jing and had her talk to them (I knew she was awake because she has sent me a "Fathers day" note on my phone). It just seemed that the transaction was much more complicated than it needed to have been.

We then walked over to the artists' corner of the city and I purchased some drawings to put up in my flat. This particular shop had about the lowest prices I have seen on the Chinese scroll prints. They add a bit of color to the walls (well, the map adds color to the walls, but it looks a bit overly functional).

We then went back to the book store where some Chinese students were asking what they should read to work on their English over the summer and I would up back in "teacher mode." From there Debra retrieved her bag and headed to the train station and I sat in the lounge and waited until about seven in the evening, when it was time for me to go.

This time the VIP lounge was full and because I did not have a soft seat ticket (it is not a straight charge, it is a percentage of seat, so for Debra's trip to Ankang it is only a 20RMB upgrade, for me it is almost a 200 RMB upgrade) I had to wait in the general lobby, the cattle pen. And, as usual, it was filled with rude people who, with hundreds of people standing, had their luggage piled on the few seats and others lounged across several seats napping. The degree of public rudeness in China, from people of all ages, is something that is often shocking.

Upon return I took a cab back and then rode up to class.

Back to Xian, and away

[I am still having trouble to get the pictures to post, I will work on that later]

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Debra and I, having obtained tickets, packed our bags and, with out great fanfare, departed for the train station. The tickets that we had were, again, soft seat. It seems that while Debra generally travels soft seat between Ankang and Xian she had never located the soft seat waiting room in Ankang. I think that I have just learned what to look for, as I walked straight to it.

It was rather funny, the baggage x-ray machine was simply too small to facilitate the packs that we had so the operator did not look at us and we did not look at him as we ignored his machine. As it was, we were in a bit of a hurry as our train was arriving on the platform when we entered the waiting lounge.

The security procedures are very funny; they have these high tech machines, but no clear procedures. I am sure that the operators are will trained, it is not a matter of not knowing the equipment; it is a matter of not knowing security principles. Bags, such as suitcases and packages are to be placed on the scanner. However, bags containing only food are not to be scanned because it just further crowds the, already crowded, conveyor through the machine. Most shockingly, hand bags, or in my case a camera bag, are also not scanned. This is for different security reasons; they do not want a problem with hand and camera bags being stolen off the conveyor. The final result is that with all of this expensive equipment, a large amount of stuff is not checked at all.

All this being said, the return trip to Xian and the Bell Tower Hostel was rather uneventful. The Bell Tower is a rather clean and well run hostel. It does get a bit loud; but nothing that makes sleep impossible. The only other issue is that it is kept a bit warm. However, compared to the number of places that have no heating at all, this is not a serious issue. The bathrooms are on the same floor as, and near, the rooms and the showers are hot with separate shower rooms for men and women.

The next day Debra was not up yet so I took the bus to the train station to meet Michelle. It took me a while to find the correct bus as I was still having trouble reading train station, which is, "火车站."(rather obviously, My space does not support Chinese characters but blogger does) I then ended up waiting a while as Michelle's train was late. However, by the time she arrived I looked pretty competent navigating the streets and buses of Xian.

We then returned to the hostel, checked her in, and found that Debra had already left. At that point Michelle and I went to the Drum and Bell towers. These are two different land mark towers in Xian that, not surprisingly, are near the Bell Tower Hostel. AT the Drum tower, which we went to second, Debra met up with us. She had no interest in seeing the towers as she had already seen them several times; so, she waited outside of the Drum Tower. From there we went to the Fruit Bazaar near the Moslem Quarter and continued on to some of the nearby shops where both Debra and Michelle purchased simple head shawls (when in Rome…).

From there we took a bus to the Shaanxi History Museum. This Museum has a great display of many of the artifacts from the early digs and the Terra Cotta Army. I was surprised to see a chrome plated sword from the Qin Dinasty. There were a number of arrowheads and a lock work from a crossbow along with several of the support beams from the Tomb and some of the fittings that were used to tie the beams together. If a person goes to see the Terra Cotta army they really should see this museum in order to tie all the details together.

At this point we tried to go to the Foreign Book Store but found that it was closed, we were too late in the evening. So, we went to dinner. About this time Debra announced that she intended to travel in a different direction. She wanted to go north and follow the Silk Road. While I am interested in traveling that route, I am not interested in doing it in the winter.

Michelle and I then went to the train station and purchased tickets to ChengDu together, it is kind of funny, she can speak the Chinese better; however, I can write it better. Together we got the exact tickets we wanted.

The next morning Michelle and I got up early and caught our transport to the Terra Cotta Army site. On the way there we spoke to some Mid-westerners who were on their way to a nearby hot spring. There was a group of six of them, which upon retirement, have come to China together to teach and see China.

Because we had made an effort to get there early, and because this is the off season, the place was almost empty. As often happens at Chinese attractions, there are so many vendor shops set up outside that the attraction itself is hard to find. However, we met a woman who worked that the Museum and she showed us the way to the main gate. I can say that is getting worse. At nearly all of these attractions, and this one was no exception, there is a massive effort underway to increase the number of vendor shops. When they are done at the Terra Cotta Army a visitor will have to endure several blocks of shops between the parking area and the gates to the Park. Even within the park there are vendors running around trying to sell the same items that can be found in Xian for less.

At least the there are no vendors in the halls. The dig is completely covered, in order to protect it. It combined with the, afore mentioned, museum are simply a must see. It is also worth going to the round theater to see the documentary on the making, and eventual looting, of the Terra Cotta Army.

From there we braved the gauntlet of vendors and went back to the buses. The people on the bus made a quick attempt to cheat us by demanding about five times to take us back to Xian as they charged to take us out. At that point Michelle told them to stop the bus because we were on the wrong one (we were on the right bus). They quickly remembered the correct price.

After doing this we went back to the foreign book store, which was now open, and looked at some Chinese study books. When we went downstairs to the popular book section we ran into Debra and all went for lunch. After lunch Michelle and I went to the Beilin Museum. This is a library that boasts the heaviest average weight of all the libraries in the world. The books are stone tablets, and there are a lot of them. It was very interesting and we stayed there until they closed and politely chased us out.

From there we returned to the hostel and began working on finding a place in ChengDu. I used the rather simple method of writing to several hostels and going with the first one that responded. Michelle was pleased that the ones I picked offered pick-up at the train stations. The first response I got was from Sim's Guesthouse on the next day.

On the next day we also walked the city wall of Xian. It was a rather long walk and I was having trouble with my boot. The boot problem became such an issue that the next day I purchased new boots and left the boots that I had been wearing, that were developing a non-repairable hole, behind. The walk around the city wall is along the top of the wall, because it was off season there were not many people on the wall. It is about a 17Km walk that provides an overlook of many parts of the central city (the wall only encircles the core of the city, it does not, in any way circle the new city) that a person would not otherwise see. There were both temples and churches that I did not even know existed before this walk. The wall was built between 600-1300 CE and is intact and very well preserved, even if it has been rebuilt in spots.

This walk was followed by a nap and then Michelle and I went for a walk to some other bookstores that evening. At this point we were looking for some travel guides of the, "Lonely Planet," or, "Rough Guide," series. The other reason for the walk was just to insure that we did not get sore from the long walk earlier in the day.

The next day was our last day in Xian. We went to the Flying Goose Pagoda. This is a large Pagoda and temple within Xian. We were both very impressed by the large carved stone and wood relief's on the walls ( I am often impressed by the work and planning that goes into large 3d stone wall relief carvings[Yes, I realize that all carvings are, by definition, 3d. What I mean is the relief's that have the backs of the items in the relief carved out and things behind items in the foreground, all in one large relief]). One of the monks (who, in general, was busy talking on his cell phone) showed us some of the best places to get pictures. In general, it was a great place to visit. This site helped make this one of the best days of the trip, the only bad part is that this is the last time I saw Debra on the trip. She did not go into the temple with us but left for her own trip instead.

From here Michelle and I returned to the Moslem quarter. We both purchased North-Face jackets while we were here (about $22 USD each). This allowed us to mail some of our winter clothing back to our office. The post office was kind of funny. There is no need to package the items before arriving because they insist on doing their own packing in their own boxes. So, I got to the packing counter and the guy saw me and pulled a whit box out (at this point I did not know that certain colors of boxes mean certain things) and packs my stuff that I am returning: books, clothing, and the broken iPod. I then get to the shipping counter and discover that white boxes are international. It had not occurred to anyone that I would be shipping anything internally. So, I had to go back to the packing counter and get it all taken out of the white box and put into a brown box.

In all, the China Post experience was very useful. At this point I have a good idea of what is involved in shipping things back to the states.

From here we returned to the hostel. While we had already checked out, they were still holding our bags. We both took a quick shower and got to the process of medicating ourselves for a long and boring train ride. I was sitting in the lounge chatting wit a young woman named Nina who I forgot to photograph ad, I expect, I will never see again, from Germany, when it was time to stagger to the train station. When we got to the train station I used my ignorant foreigner act to get into the VIP waiting room (that we were not supposed to use at this station because we were traveling hard [second class] sleeper). After a couple of hours of sitting and reading, it was time to step on to the train to the next major city of our journey.

Moslem Quarter

Wednesday Debra was able to secure the use of a second bicycle. With it we went for a ride. One of the main destinations of the ride was the Moslem Quarter.

This section of the city contains some of the oldest buildings that are in regular use. It is identifiable from a distance by the lower skyline. The buildings are, almost, all made of rough brick and the streets are much narrower, having been made at a time that had no need to accommodate motorcars.

As there was little need to accommodate motorcars, the streets were available for more practical uses, like the slaughter of animals. The skin was first opened, in order to provide a clean work surface, and then the cow was sectioned and butchered in the street. Similarly, there were also goats foraging, being sold, and being butchered in the same streets.

While there we visited three Mosques. At the second we were invited to walk to the top of the calling tower and see the city form there. It turned out to be the highest calling tower in the city and provided an incredible view of the Moslem quarter. Like many other buildings in China, it was made entirely of masonry and the stairs were steep enough, in places, to more resemble a ladder than what they were.

We also visited a couple of outdoor produce markets with one small disaster. It turns out that Debra lost her wallet. We rode for a while in hopes of locating it; but to no avail. The good news is that she had very little in it: about 60Y, her Hostel card, and her bankcard. The bankcard may turn out to be the hardest loss of the three. The banks in China should be able to replace it. The problem with dealing with any institutions is always the language issue.

Going to Xian

Thursday in preparation for my trip to go see Debra, and some travel in China, I went with Michelle and Ellen to do a bit of shopping. About lunchtime, before Ellen was available, Michelle and I went and looked at the various shops in the alley that is off the East Gate, the alley that we often call Diagon Alley (I have later learned that the correct name is Haiyuan). We located some things that we wanted, including mess kits and flasks. At that point we went and ate.

After lunch Michelle contacted Ellen, and informed Ellen that she was requested to come along for a shopping trip. There were several elements of this trip. First, Michelle and I wanted some sheets sewn in a particular manner that would make them more useful at the hostels. Second, we wanted to return to the alley in order to purchase the items that we had identified; which we did, with Ellen arguing the prices for us.

We then took a bus into town. It seems that when Michelle purchased some mp3 players she received some bonus points to use in the store. She wanted to go back for a mop. We also went to the supermarket for some snacks and breads. One other thing we were looking for were zip-lock bags. We have seen them in some places, containing goods for sale, so we know that they exist; however, we have not been able to find them.

We went to a pharmacy, where they have bags of potpourri for sale in zip-lock bags and asked them where they got the bags. What we were told was that there is a person who comes through the business district in the morning, on a three-wheel bicycle (This is differentiated from a tricycle due to the existence of a large cargo box, it is intended for hauling goods rather than a single person.) and sells zip-lock bags. The only advise that they, and the other shops that use the bags, had was to wait at a shop on the regular route, in the morning, and see if he rides by, selling bags, that day.

We then took a cab and returned to our block. Shortly after we arrived back in our flats Ellen cooked dinner for us. And the teacher from South Africa also came up and discussed a laptop computer that he was looking at. It was somewhat low end. However, all he wants to do is use MS Office and email. For under $400usd it looked okay. That amount does not get anything special. It had a 1.8g Pentium processor, 256 Mb of memory (which I advised him to have upgraded to 512), a 40gb HD (upgradeable to 80 for about another $8usd), and a 14.1" screen. I am not sure what a similar computer would run in the states; however, I expect that, if purchased used or closeout, it would be about the same.

Friday I rode my bicycle to the bank and withdrew some money. Part of the reason that I did this was to make sure that I would have no trouble making withdrawals using my ATM card from China Construction Bank, the bank in China that I use. I then went for lunch at a place that I am a bit of a regular and returned to carry my bicycle, the five floors, up to my flat. It is now sitting in the bedroom. While I have taken to chaining it to a tree in front of my stairwell I did not want to leave it there for almost three weeks while I am gone.

Shortly after that, some students started showing up. Ilwin arrived and while he was there Michelle came over to see what I had packed. She, of course, wanted to insure that we did not double pack anything that we only needed one of. Walik came over and visited for a while and, shortly after he left, Merry arrived. About the time that HZQ arrived it was getting time to leave. She finished checking to insure that everything was turned off, in order to conserve energy, and we left for dinner and the train station.

Dinner at the restaurants near the train station are always more expensive that is reasonable, and this one was no exception. After we got out of the cab Ilwin insisted on carrying my pack, I think he was surprised on how much it did weigh. One thing is that it is hard to find much lightweight stuff here. The almost all packing information says not to bring jeans; they just weigh too much. However, there are no real good alternatives, it is jeans or polyester dress pants. After dinner I put the pack on, correctly, and it was much easier to pack.

Going to the waiting room was somewhat funny, HZQ was trying to steer me to the waiting room that she typically uses and I was going to the VIP lounge. So, it was the picture of us, at the entrance, both pointing in different directions with her telling me that we go that way and me insisting that we needed to go the other way. It does not help that that VIP room is not even marked. Like many of the students, she had never been in that room and was not aware of its existence.

While we were waiting Ilwin and Merry wandered off and got some snacks. During this time we worked on some of our other plans for the vacation. After Debra and I return to Xinyang, it is likely that we will then head for Kaifeng. This is not far from Zhengzhou and is considered to be one of the more interesting historic cities. As it turns out, HZQ is familiar with this city and I made plans to contact her, at her home city of Xin Xiang, when we get to that stage of our trip.

About that time Merry and Ilwin returned and a short time later the train arrived. It was a short run to the correct car, one must remember that the trains only stop for a few minutes at the smaller station and there is boarding in cars all along it's length. As I was stowing my baggage, HZQ was writing something, in Chinese, on a note, with my passport number, for the conductor. At that point she left, Merry and Ilwin had already gotten off the train.

Once the train was moving the conductor came and wanted more information. This was a problem due to language issues; however, I gathered that, in addition to my passport number, and whatever HZQ had written, he needed my county of origin and full name written down. I made it that far when he through the hard one at me; it needed to be written in Chinese.

When it was clear that I was not able to do this the conductor went and got someone else to assist. He brought a Chinese Air Force officer. This resulted in the person who had been in the bunk next to mine being moved so that the officer would be able to stay nearby (and, presumably, keep me out of trouble). He was helpful and stated, the next morning, that he enjoyed a chance to practice his English. There is no doubt that he was very helpful in giving the conductor the information that he needed.

It was well after dark when I boarded and by the time that the paperwork was completed, it was well after 10pm; so, I was pretty quick to go to sleep and stayed that way well into dawn. I then got up and made myself a simple breakfast. About this time, the officer woke up and we chatted for a while. The conductor then came and switched my bunk card back for my ticket and I made my way to the doors.

Debra had described the Xian as having a huge train station; compared to Zhengzhou and Hankou it did not seem to be much at all. As soon as I exited the station I saw Debra. I was surprised by how close to the city walls the station was. We then went to the bus stops and rode back to the Hostel that Debra stays at.

From there we walked around town for quite a while and finally went through the Moslem quarter and visited the Grand Mosque, one of the oldest Mosques in China. From there we returned to the hostel and rested. Then we went on a long bus ride and walked back (never finding the shower slippers and pajamas, for me, that we were looking for). On the ride we saw a foreign language bookstore and, after again resting at the Hostel, walked back to it. I have to say that in this area, around the Hostel, the number of westerners that I saw amazed me. I saw more westerners here than I saw in any other place in China.

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At the bookstore we both purchased a set of textbooks to help us with our Chinese. Later that evening we walked through some of the alleys and went to a small restaurant for dinner. I noticed that in the city center there are not the number of small shops and vibrant alleys that are seen in other places in China. It is almost as if there is an effort to make Xian look like a western city. The only places that approached looking like the China that I am used to seeing were the streets outside of the tourist portion of the Muslim quarter.

At some point during the day Debra purchased a new battery for her film camera. It came as no real surprise that the battery that was sold to her was dead. This is a common problem in China. The batteries are sold so seldom that they die before they are sold. If a person were coming with something that uses an odd size battery I would recommend bringing the spares that you will need. Other than that, for frequently used batteries, plan on using rechargeable batteries. The NiMh batteries are widely available, as are the chargers.

The next day involved walking to several outdoor shops in Xian. Debra was looking for some camping gear. A large portion of that camping gear that is available is imported; thus, it, by Chinese standards, is very expensive. We still looked at several places and walked along the moat, that runs outside of the city wall, for a ways. We were also getting some food to eat while on the train.

About this time it was necessary that we begin preparing to head for the train station. So, we returned to the Hostel and picked up our bags, that were being stored there, and started hopping on buses in order to head for the train station.

We had soft seat, or first class, tickets so we waited in the lounge, which was somewhat filled. This is the time of year that many students are returning home and families are traveling for the holiday so even these waiting rooms are nearly full.

The train ride from Xian to Ankang was uneventful. I did notice that there were some rather long tunnels on the route. The entire ride was about four hours.

Upon our arrival in Ankang we took a cab back to Debras Apartment. At that point we had dinner, which was, largely, the food that we had not eaten on the train, and pretty much called it a day.

The next couple of days were generally just me puttering around the flat while Debra was in class. We went for dinner together on Monday evening and walked to a market.

Tuesday I went for a bike ride by myself and found a small, nearby, shop for dinner. So, other than doing laundry, sitting around and some bike rides, I am doing very little in Ankang.

Zeneta writes more about her visit with Debra

Visit with Debra

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

2:35 PM

Sat 18 Nov

Get taxi to train station t 7am

Catch train at 8:20 am and go to Xian

Get accommodations for Debra

Leave all things in a locker in her room

Go for walk about Xian

Take some more photos and make a few more purchases

Tour Drum Tower

Meet Frank and go to a large teahouse for some Sprite

Get the train tickets from him

Walk some more

Purchase cheese and a few other items

Go to Debra's room and collect my things, do some repackaging of items

The Bell Tower at Night 18 Nov 2006

Catch bus to train station

At train station, decide the Platform Ticket line is too long

Say goodbye to Debra at entry to station

Find waiting room

"Trains are never late" is said here in China, however this one was late. Time was changed three times before it arrived. It then left the station 15 minutes after it arrived.

Below are several photos that should have been with the original "Debra Visit" post.

Debra at China Post

Market near Debra's apartment

Ankang night view 17 Nov 2006

BTW….Cheese is wonderful.

Zeneta's visit with Debra

Visit with Debra

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

2:35 PM

Met Debra at train station

Went to her hostel, then walked around Xian

Arrive in Ankang 5 Nov after dark

Take train from Xinyang to Xian

Ride in hard sleeper on lower bunk

Left Xinyang 21:26 4 Nov

Arrive Xian 9:30 5 Nov

Spend Monday at her apartment while she was at school

Met Lucy and Lily…persons from the school Debra works for

Went for long walk in the evening…took lots of photos

During lunch met Ulla, the other English speaking teacher at her school

During walk met LaVelle, another teacher placed by Buckland at a different school here

Sunday on the train we met a very nice young lady. She was 6 years old. She sang and drew for us. Her mom could speak some English and so could she. She wrote her name for me and her mom gave me an email address for her. Her name is Bao Rui Xue. We got some pictures of her, but there were technical problems with the camera and several did not come out.

We also met a young boy. I am guessing he was about 3or 4 years. He let us take pictures of him…

Today spent morning working and playing on my computer

Lunch break spent with Debra…ramen and bread and fruit for lunch

Made shopping list during morning

Breakfast…cheese, fruit and bread

Went on walk when Debra got done teaching

Purchased several scarves

Went to supermarket, purchased writing boards, dictionary and book

Ate at KFC on the way back to Debra's apartment

Also purchased music cds on the way back after dinner

Watch "Nanny McPhee"

Wed 8 Nov 9:30

Uggg…it is grey outside

Breakfast will be fruit, cheese, crackers

Worse than grey outside is cold inside

And no internet

All in all today was a good day. I worked on the computer and on my journals. I also spent time listening to music.

Lavelle and nick come for their cheese 13:50

Debra goes to teach class

Sun is out and shining...flat is still chilly

Lucy comes with computer men to get internet and network fixed. They arrived at 2:30pm

Dinner was at an acquaintance of Debra's

The food was cooked by the husband and was very good to eat

After eating, we took lots of pictures

The pictures were taken with two cameras

We left at 6pm and returned at 8:55pm

Thurs 9 Nov 9:35

Breakfast consisted of sliced and pealed fruits, buns, several cheeses and breakfast biscuits type of cookie). An apple and pear were sliced and an orange was peeled.

The internet repair person comes by as do the computer repairmen. They are currently working on the computer to fix the entire problem with using the internet.

My laundry is done and waiting to be hung and dried. All is now drying.

The sun finally came out which will help with the stuff on the roof drying.

2:55 computer men return with Lucy. She leaves to give Debra the tickets to Xian. When they arrived I was busy sweeping the floors.

During lunch hour, Debra and I went and got a rack for drying laundry inside. We stopped at the bank on the way there and brought a taxi back to her apartment. Lunch consisted of orange slices and small bread buns.

The computer men appear to have reformatted the drive…internet was available tonight

Cut out arrows for Debra…after playing on internet for a couple hours

Listen to music

Fri 10 Nov

Called Robert at 12:58

Breakfast is fruit cheese and breakfast biscuits

Lunch is cheese and biscuits

Debra has left for her teaching assignments

I am here in her apartment which is warmer this morning than it has been for the last few. I am listening to music on my computer.

I have taken a shower and washed my hair

Later this morning my laundry will be completely dry

We are packed and mostly ready for weekend trip to Xian. While there we plan to explore and go to see the Terracotta Army. I plan to purchase a small backpack. I will use the pack to help take things back to Xinyang. Things include cheese and tomato sauce, chopsticks and small gifts for people.

Listen to music throughout the morning and afternoon

Started watching third Harry Potter movie and making questions about it.

2:50 Lucy arrives with someone she says will fix internet.

Dinner out with Debra and other teachers. Ate at a Hot Pot. Food was good and so was the company

Leave for station about 9:20

Catch train to Xian

Sat 11 Nov

Arrive in Xian at about 4am

Wait outside station till about 7am

At 7 catch bus to Terra cotta army site

We both got a little chilled while waiting for the bus to start running

At the site, we went through the three pits

I took lots of picures while we were there, both inside the protective buildings for the site and outside them

The place was well worth seeing, and I think going first thing is a very wise choice as there are very few tours going then

Pit #3 was as well lit as the first one. Pictures were easier to take and seem to be better.

This pit may be as excavated as it is going to be

We started with Pit #1, the first of the pits to be discovered. It is supposed to be the largest of the pits, and holds a large number of statues. I took lots of pictures with both of the cameras I had with me. I suspect that I have more pictures from this pit than from the other two combined. There seem to be four to six columns of the warriors in this pit, each column containing four warriors across.

The columns stretch to the back of the protective shelter

There is still a lot of the area which could be excavated. Part of the very back is used to piece together the broken statues

Pit #2 is very dark and seems a bit disappointing after the first one.

There were several glass encased displays in the building protecting this pit. It also looked like there was current and ongoing excavation happening

When we were done we went and got a room for the night in a nice youth hostel it was very nice and we were fortunate in that we got the bottom bunks and did not have to share the room. Well we did, but there were two rooms in one, and we got the back room.

Pictures of the room we were in

After getting accommodation for the night we went and did some shopping. I wanted a small pack, some chopsticks and some other items. Debra took me to the shop and I got the pack I wanted, we then went and got something to eat. After eating we went down a street with lots of small shops and carts in it. At one of the shops we purchased fans and in another I purchased some chopsticks. As we left I also purchased a small dangly to help locate my USB drive.

Sun 12 Nov

We went to three tourist items today, one before checking out of the Hostel and the other two before catching the train

The first was the "tablet forest" this was within walking distance of the place where we stayed for the night. It was a very nice place.

I took a lot of pictures while we were there.

This is a map of the place.

Some examples of the different styles of writing

We also visited the Great Mosque

After visiting the mosque we did some shopping in the lane out to the main road. Items of silk and a variety of other things were available.

The train station waiting room

The last place we visited before going to the train station was the Bell Tower.

This was one of the bells at the tower. The others were in the tower and there was some music being played.

Mon 13 Nov

Did not sleep well last night. Got a good hot shower this morning. Am starting to feel better. Apartment I still very chilly and damp. Have been wearing my shawl today.

Debra went and taught this morning. When she came back we spent some time and talked to family via Team Speak. Members included Victoria, Mom, John and Serena. We both spoke to everyone for a few minutes or more. Fixed Microphone so it was working. I think we both got to talk for a minimum of 30 minutes each and maybe as long as an hour

I spent some time this morning ad this afternoon working on the Power Point and On my journals

Debra has gone back to teach classes for this afternoon. Reminded her to ask for train tickets to Xian for Sat Morning. I have been writing notes on postcards. We are planning to go to the post office this afternoon and mail packages and postcards out to people.

Went for a walk to post office with Debra and Ulla. Did some shopping and stopped for dinner on the way back to apartment.

Talked to family again this afternoon via TS

Listening to music

Did laundry tonight

Tues 14 Nov

Grey and chill day

Spent morning on internet and talking to john and mom

Lunch was ramen, Debra style

Again wearing the shawl to help keep warm

Working on movie questions and webpage while Debra is at school this afternoon

When Debra returned from school, we went an visited with Ulla. I showed my power point presentation and we also shared photos. Ulla gave me copies of some of her pictures

Discussed her classes and the use of an assistant

Dinner was sandwiches and cheese and crackers.

We also watched a movie, Harry potter and the prisoner of Azkaban

Still waiting for the laundry to finish drying

Wed 15 Nov

Chill and grey day

Spent morning on the internet

Talked to mom and john

Went for walk about noon and got veggies and fruit with Debra

Have afternoon also on internet

Thurs 16 Nov

Played on WOW for a while this morning

Also checked e-mail and visited other sites online

Grey skis abound outside this morning

Set batteries to charging

Now cooking rice and playing on my laptop

Now eating the rice

Played with mom on WOW. Advanced elf hunter to level 25

Fri 17 Nov

Listen to Chinese language cd

Had eggs onion and cheese for breakfast

Played online till power went down about 11:00

Now working on journals and packing

Cheese and banana for lunch/snack

No power from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm

Getting ready to go an a walk, take photos and get dinner with friends

Walk was very nice. Dinner was also quite good. After dinner walked to bridge and took photos of it and one of the buildings near it. From the bridge went by the apartment of one of the teachers and made use of her toilet. We then went to KFC and got sundaes with strawberry. Then we returned to Debra's apartment to finish packing and prepare to leave for Xian in the morning.